Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



0. AMES a I. W'. LITGHFIELD.

'PNEUMATIG DESPATCH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED 06T. 12, 1905.

Patented June 1, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. AMES & I. W. LITGHHBLD.

PNEUMATIG DESPATOH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 12, l1905.

Patented June 1, 1909.

0. vAMES. 6L I. W. LITGHFIBLD.

PNEUMATIO DESPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IIALBD 00T. 12, 1905.

Patented June 1, 1909.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

@c ff/ XA y A V, M

' UNrrED ,sriirnsfriirnn'r err-ien OAKES AMES, OF MILTON, AND ISAAC W. .IITVHFIELL Ol" BOSTON, ;\lASSACHFSEWFS.,'ASSIGN- ORS TO SLAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVIFE ("OMPANY, (W NEWARK. i\`l}\\".IlGRSEY.

.A CORPORATION OF'NEW JERSEY.

PNEUMATIC-DESPATCH-TUBE APPARATUS.

' f 923,237. .f f

To all whom/it may concern;

y yBe it known` that we, OAKics Annes and IsAAo W .LiTcIiriELo said Aims o." Milton,v

county ol' Norl'olk,` State ol'.Massachusetts, 5k andr said `LrroiirinLn .olfBostoin in the county ol' Suiolkand State of.ltlassachusetts, have inventedcertain ne\vand useful .lin-

provements in Pneumatica:Despatch Tube App aratus,' ol. which rthe 'following isa specilil cation.

Our inventiony relates to improvements in pneumatic despatchrtube apparatus and its principal Objectis to despatch carriers without breaking` the' air circuit and also .toenl able `the carriers to be autoinz'ttieally introduced into the transmission tube when the vacuum is strongwitl'iout` injury to the caif riers. i

The .advantage `of this device is that the 2O air vcircuit is not even 'momentarily interrupted by the introduction ol' a carrier thus preventing kthe stoppiijigo'l' the carriers in. transit [previous rto their delivery. lnpractice We have found that carriers have been ar- `,25 rested in their travel through the tube by the air circuit beingv rbroken. so thatthey vwould become lodgedr 'in the `'tube `and would not start when the air circuit was restored. This f kcondition is particularly noticeable when the carriers areascending through a vertical section oi' the tube circuitl In he. accompanying drawings which illus trate a construction .l embodying our invention,-Figure 1 is ya vertical section showing the general arrangement of the' device in normal position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

5o Cowley, is attached directlyfabove the bal-k ance valve chamber Mby means of a piece of tube M of the same' diameter as the transmissionA tube R, forming an .inlet normally Specification of Letters Patent. Application iiled October 12.1905. Serial'No. 282,410.

Patented June 1, 1.909.

sealed from the atmospheric pressure exerted in the transmission tube R by means oll the balance. valve which consists oi' the two leaves J and J connected b v the link J'i and hung on the pivot J'i. A chamber l which is connected with the chamber M2 .vontains the rain/or stop G pivote-d therein b v the (i0 pinll. rlhe plunger-F permits free movement of the stop or cam except when. the plunger descends by gravity when the cradle M releases the. bell frank lever A which is pivoted toit-he support. B by the pin (l and connected to the plunger l*` b v the pivot l)- rlhe upper arin ol' the bell crank leverA is operated.through the inovcinentol' the cradle M thrrm'ingthie plunger F down; then the cradle is moved i'orward audup when re- 70 leased'to normal position through the inediuin ol' the spring' 'l`. The builer li is mounted on the cradle M and cushions the contact ol' the said cradle M and the end of the hell crank .lever A at the end olthe rear 75 ward movement olA said cradle. 'lhe butler B mounted in the support ll cushions the drop ol' the plunger F.

The operation is as follows: The carrier Z is placed iii the cradle M as shownin Fig'. l 80 which cradle is provided with a valve K normally closing' the. tube inlet. The handle L is then. p usl ied inwardly by the operator until the cradli` M swings into alineinent with the tube M when the carrier drops into said tube M and is arrested and held by the cam or stop G (Fig. 2). The inward motion of the cradle M releases the bell crank lever A allowing the langer F to drop therebylocking the cam in position to arrest and hold the carrier Z. The handle L is then released by the operator and the cradle Mis returned to normal position by the action of the s ring` v T. Valve K now closes the inlet an( the bell crank lever A has been thrown back by the return of the cradle M thereby throwing upl the plunger F and'i'eleasing thecam or 2the carrier Z to drop striking stop G allowin the leaf J of t e balance valve causing the said valve to o en by the Weight of the car- 10oi rier thereon alowing the carrier to pass through as shown 'in Fig. 4. The balance valve now automatically closes and the operation has been accomplished Without momentarily breakin@` the air circuit in the transmission tube Having thus described the nature of our invention and set forth a construction em-' bodying the same, what We claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent 0f the United States is- 1. In pneumatic despatch tube apparati-1S,

a transit tube communicating with a s011115@ of air-pressure, a carrier-inlet o )enng into said transit tube, independentiy operated outer and inner valves in said carrier-niiet t0 close the latter to outside air, and means for arresting the carrier in said carrier-inlet be tween said valves out of contact with the inner valve While the outer valve is being closed.

2. In pneumatic despatch tube. apparatus, a transit tube communicating with a source of air-pressure, a 'carrier-inlet o ening into said. transit tube, independentlly operated outer and inner valves in said carrier-inlet to close the latter to outside air, a movable stop for arresting the carrier in said carrier-inlet between said valves out 'of contact with the inner valve while the outer valve is bein closed, and mechanism actuated by sai outer valve to disengage the stop from the carrier on the closin@r of the outer valve. v

3. In pneumatic despatch tube apparatus,

atransit tube communicatingwith a source of air-pressi1 re, a carrier-inlet opening into said transittube, independently operated outer and inner valves in said carrier-inlet to close the latter to outside air, a movable stop for arresting the carrier 1n said carrier-inlet be-V tween said valves out of contact With the inner valve, and mechanism actuated by the outer valve to move said stop to engage the carrier on the opening ofthe outer valve and to move the stop to disengage the carrier on the closing of the outer valve.

4. In pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube communicating` 'with a source of air-pressure, a carrier-inlet o ening into said transit tube, independent y operated outer and inner valves in said carrier-inlet to 'close the latter to outside air, a pivoted stop, a plunger for moving said stop into the carrier-inlet to enga e the carrier to hold the latter betweensai valves out of contact with the inner valve, and a bell-crank connected with said plunger actuated by the closin of the outer valve to move the plunger to ree the stop from the carrier.

5. In pneumatic despatch tube apparatus, a transit tube communicating with a source of air-pressure, a carrier-inlet opening into said transit tube, a manually o erated valve for closing the outer end of sai carrier-inlet, a balance valve normally closing the inner end of said carrier-inlet when the manually operated valve is open, a movable stop for arresting the carrier in said carrier-inlet between said valves out of contact with the balance valve, and mechanism actuated by said Amanually\ o erated valve to disengage the stop fromt e carrier on the closing of said manually operatedvalve.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this ninth day of i;

October A. D. 1905.

OAKES AMES. ISAAC W. LITCHFIELD. -Witnesses:

GEORGE W. ECKER, FRANK A. SEIB. 

